This gonoral current is moro or loss affTGctod by the wind and may 

 he decreased or oven stopped at times by northerly winds, but when the 

 v<ind abates it starts again, I/hcn the wind is with the current its 

 velocity is increased. Well offshore the currents are variable and not 

 so strong and depend to a great extent on the winds. There is, however, 

 a general set northward. 



A report from the Coast Guard states that in the vicinity of Point 

 Barrow (that is, from Sea Horse Island to Point Barrow) a northeast wind 

 will act against a northly current and produce a resultant current which 

 T/ill carry the ice offshore. 



The follovring is quoted from Physical Geography of the Sea (iJaury) - 

 1857: 



A surface current flows north through Bchring Strr.it into the Arctic 

 Ocean, but in the Atlantic the current is from, not into the Arctic Sea: 

 it flov7s south on the surface, north below: Bchring Strait being too 

 shallow to admit of mighty undercurrent or to perrait the introduction i 

 from the polar basin of any largo icebergs into the Pricific, 



The following is q.uoted from the cruise of the CORViflN in the Arctic 

 Ocean -,1881: (Notes and Observations by Hooper): 



A bright ice-blink had been in sight, to the eastv/ard, all the after- 

 noon, and about 8 p.m., the ice was raised on the port beam and ahead, 

 Vife soon discovered the straits to be entirely filled with ice, coming 

 through from Bering Sea, compelling us to lay by until morning. During 

 the night the set of the current, after careful observation, was found 

 to be about one knot per hour to the northward, 



^ Jyt ?}C ?^ Jj^ ?JC J^S ?f* »1C ^ 'f- 5jC 



On the 30th oflvlay, being anchored at the Yfest Diomede, the ice was 

 observed to be setting to the northward about 2 knots per hour, the wind 

 blowing fresh southeast with snow-sq.ualls« 



During the night of June 3 the CORY/IN, while trying to get south 

 through Bering Strait, was met by a largo body of ice drifting through 

 ' into theVArctic Ocean from Bering Sea which completely filled the strait. 

 Being compelled to heave, until the next forenoon, the drift of the vessel 

 v/as noted and found to be northwest, velocity about one-half a knot per 

 hour, weather calm. 



June 7, steaming from Saint Lav/ronco Bay to Saint Lawrence Island, 

 m weather, a curreni 

 direction in twenty hours, 



in calm weather, a current set the vessel 30 miles in an east-northeast 



July 2, steaming from Bering Strait to Marcus Bay, time nineteen 

 hours, the vessel was set to the northeast IS miles. There ^'ras no wind 

 at the time, but for several days previously a fresh north-northwest gale 

 had boon blowing. In passing through the strait near the Diomede Islands 

 at that time a strong current had been encountered, which had been the 

 subject of remark on board, some estimating it as high as 3 knots per 

 hour, 



- 3a - 



